Psalm 57

SHINE on me, O LORD! Shine all around! Let Your Glory and Your Fame be known, today, all throughout the world. SHINE on Your people, O God. Shine all around! Let them be refreshed by the knowledge of knowing that You are for them. SHINE all around, Jesus! SHINE. SHINE. SHINE.

Shine on my heart...illuminate each part, so that I can love You more, my LORD and King.

"Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens!

May your glory shine over all the earth.

My enemies have set a trap for me.

I am weary from distress.

They have dug a deep pit in my path,

but they themselves have fallen into it.

My heart is confident in you, O God;

My heart is confident.

No wonder I can sing your praises!

Wake up, my heart!

Wake up, O lyre and harp!

I will wake the dawn with my song.

I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.

I will sing your praises among the nations.

For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.

May your glory shine over all the earth."

Psalm 57:5-11

Psalm 104

Why should I worry? 

I know it makes sense in the moment. 

Why should I fear? 

I know it makes sense in the moment. 

Emotions take over and I am carried away from the truth that God is my Provider and Sustainer. 

That is why I am thankful for sweet reminders that God brings my way. 

He places bird's nests outside of my door so that I can recall 

His majesty and capability of holding it all together. 

He is the Master and Orchestrator over ALL creation. 

If He cares and provides for small creatures, 

how much more will He provide and care for me...

Hallelujah for our Awesome and Holy God. 

Indeed, my soul, bless His name this day!

Psalm 104

Let all that I am praise the LORD.

O LORD my God, how great you are!

You are robed with honor and majesty.

You are dressed in a robe of light.

You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;

you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.

You make the clouds your chariot;

you ride upon the wings of the wind.

The winds are your messengers;

flames of fire are your servants.

You placed the world on its foundation

so it would never be moved.

You clothed the earth with floods of water,

water that covered even the mountains.

At your command, the water fled;

at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.

Mountains rose and valleys sank

to the levels you decreed.

Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,

so they would never again cover the earth.

You make springs pour water into the ravines,

so streams gush down from the mountains.

They provide water for all the animals,

and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

The birds nest beside the streams

and sing among the branches of the trees.

You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,

and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.

You cause grass to grow for the livestock

and plants for people to use.

You allow them to produce food from the earth—

wine to make them glad,

olive oil to soothe their skin,

and bread to give them strength.

The trees of the LORD are well cared for—

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

There the birds make their nests,

and the storks make their homes in the cypresses.

High in the mountains live the wild goats,

and the rocks form a refuge for the conies.

You made the moon to mark the seasons,

and the sun knows when to set.

You send the darkness, and it becomes night,

when all the forest animals prowl about.

Then the young lions roar for their prey,

stalking the food provided by God.

At dawn they slink back

into their dens to rest.

Then people go off to their work,

where they labor until evening.

O LORD, what a variety of things you have made!

In wisdom you have made them all.

The earth is full of your creatures.

Here is the ocean, vast and wide,

teeming with life of every kind,

both large and small.

See the ships sailing along,

and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.

They all depend on you

to give them food as they need it.

When you supply it, they gather it.

You open your hand to feed them,

and they are richly satisfied.

But if you turn away from them, they panic.

When you take away their breath,

they die and turn again to dust.

When you give them your breath, life is created,

and you renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of the LORD continue forever!

The LORD takes pleasure in all he has made!

The earth trembles at his glance;

the mountains smoke at his touch.

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live.

I will praise my God to my last breath!

May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,

for I rejoice in the LORD.

Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;

let the wicked disappear forever.

Let all that I am praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 22

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?...Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises...To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame...“He trusts in the LORD,” they say, “let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help...But you, LORD, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me...I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you...You who fear the LORD, praise him!..From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly...for dominion belongs to the LORD..." Psalm 22

     When I was pregnant, there was nothing better to awaken me to the awe and majesty of God forming His creatures in wombs. The womb is a sanctuary for God to form and create his unique creations. It is a place that He intricately speaks to each sole and declares Himself LORD.

     We are intended to depend upon Him. We are created to cry out to the LORD. We are formed to seek Him, call out to Him, wait upon Him, and trust Him.

     How can that which has been fashioned to do one thing and be one way, turn and not be that way? We do exactly that too often and then wonder why it feels so wrong. We look in all the wrong places and seek all the wrong things and wonder why things don't fit together.

     Every time we see another baby being formed in a womb, we can be reassured that we have a Maker and Creator who longs to hear our voice. He longs to have us cry out to Him BECAUSE He made us to respond to Him with cries and longings and questions. He doesn't want us turning to anyone one else - any other god. He wants us - all of us. All of our questions, doubts, and worries are NOT TOO MUCH for Him. He wants us just as we are.

     Be encouraged, readers, that God wants you to come to Him, now, just as you are.

     He loves us.

     Nothing can change His love for us.

Proverbs 27:19

"As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart." 

Proverbs 27:19

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light." 

Matthew 6:22

There is a dynamic connection between the heart, the eye, and the body. Just as the window is a small part of a house, so is the eye a small part of the body. From a window, someone can see into much of a house; from that same window someone can look out, to see the world. Similarly, the eye is the place to look when addressing an individual in conversation - it is the outlet to the internal life of a person. 

The eye is also used to learn through observation. If we want to grow and change, we must observe something new - be it reading, writing, or watching.

I am at a new place in life. I desire to see things in the spirit - not only for my sake, but for the sake of my children. (We have recently discovered that Isaiah, our two-year-old, can see angels and demons.)

We are headed into times of greater tribulation and trials. There will be more warfare than ever before - waging war not against flesh but against principalities. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

I need my heart right - righteous and clean. I need my eyes alert and watching - seeing more than just flesh. I need my body pure - "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8). I need my mind fixed upon Jesus - constant in prayer, thanksgiving, and intercession.

I need to be ready.

Steady.

Overcoming.

Hallelujah.

Matthew 7

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" Matthew 7:21-23

I was recently asked this question: "Why are you awake?"

This question was directly towards me because the other person knew that I was exhausted - tired from life's responsibilities. It would have made more sense if I were resting.

At first, I chose to say nothing. Then, I began thinking about how to explain why I was awake. I knew that I had chosen to be awake, to pray, and read the Bible. How could I explain the "Why" to even those simple things? Why wouldn't I read the Bible once I was rested? Why wouldn't I wait to pray once I was rested?

Eventually this was my answer: "I am awake because I want to love Jesus more - better."

I am slowly coming to realize that if I become reliant upon waiting until I am rested to read God's Word or pray, I will not do either. With a life that is filled with so many things, it is too easy to ease up on the importance of knowing my LORD - of loving my LORD.

Jesus is more than an appointment. Jesus is more than a requirement. Jesus is more than a responsibility. Jesus is MY LIFE. Jesus is MY TRUTH. Jesus is THE WAY. He is the reason for my life, so if I cannot end a day or start a day with Him, then what I am doing a day for. If I cannot stop within a day to gaze upon His beauty, then why am I declaring to praise Him or love Him. If He is always with me and near me, a simply five to ten minute break throughout the day will NOT hinder my precious schedule; it will help it - it will help me.

Song of Solomon 2

 "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys." Song of Solomon 2:1

 "Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women." Song of Solomon 2:2

     There is a love song playing all throughout the Kingdom of Heaven. There is a theme and an anthem ringing in the ears of those that lean into the love of Christ - those that dare to come closer to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To those who have 'taken up their cross' to follow the Lamb that was slain, Jesus Christ, there is a sweet aroma and fragrance that rises from each heart.

     I am longing, more and more, to know this Love. And I need to have a greater longing placed within my heart SO THAT I can long more and more. As weird as that sounds, it's really not. God is the source of all things, thus, I must ask Him for that which I need. In this case, I long to have more of a longing for Him. So, I ask for that longing to be placed deep within me. As I wait for the longing to come, I will move forward with what I already have.

     Part of the love song that makes me want more is the part of me being rare and precious. Just as Jesus praised the shepherd with the lost lamb and woman with her lost coin, God cherishes me the same way.

     "Then Jesus told them this parable: 'Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’" (Luke 15:3-9)

     God knows all about me. To Him, I am rare and precious. He wants to know my thoughts and hear my voice. When He doesn't, He will seek after me and find me. Again, I say, that makes me want to run after Him and take hold of Him. To be loved with such zeal...oh, it awakens my heart to sing and dance - it makes me want to live - to come alive.

     "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." (Psalm 139)

     Oh, to have the knowledge of being sought after... It is that knowledge that makes me want to reciprocate the same intensity - to pursue the very One who is pursuing me. Such fervency leaves me speechless; such enthusiasm pulls at the strings of my heart. I am left with a cry ringing in my heart: "I have to have Him. I must know this God who has gone to height and depth to save me and love me. I must know who He is. How He is. Where He is. To be found in Him and with Him. I want to be where He is - loving what He loves and hating what He hates. I need Him. I love Him. Him and only Him is who my heart longs for. God help me have You. Help me get You and know You. Help me never stop loving You. Help me love You better. Help me love You with all of me, just as You have loved me with all of You."

     God deserves my heart. He has captured my heart with His love. He has been knocking and speaking - never ceasing love...that is WHO HE IS...and He is waiting for me.

     Here I am LORD. Here I am, at Your feet.

     Come, Holy Spirit, and lead me to the Rock that is higher than I am. Lead me to the Lamb. Lead me to the man, who from generation to generation, has drenched lives with His incomparable love.